| Pyongtaek Post--April 27, 2004 |
| Hello all! Okay, so there was no computer glitch this month; just strictly human error and distraction. Many apologies for not having the letter by the 15th (my usual, self-imposed deadline). MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: PI Follow-up Report Wow! We really had a great time in the Philippines! (I've attached a picture page to this letter, so don't forget to check it out.) If you have read the previous letters you know that our work team went to the Word of Life Camp in Laguna, Philippines. Our mission was to build a curb for the camp's main road. Now I know that project doesn't really sound like much on paper, but it was really a tough job; one that took all we had to give. We arrived in Manila on Saturday around noon (about a 3 1/2 hr flight from Seoul) and rode 2 more hours to the camp. The weather was really warm and humid, and reminded me of summers in Mississippi; minus the palm trees of course, and the pineapple fields and the mountains. (Okay! A lot of things were different, but you get the point.) We drove into the camp about 3:00pm on Saturday and got settled into the cabins and learned the lay of the land. The camp was beautiful; full of palm trees and bamboo trees. It was so green and contrasted so much with the concrete/steel color of Korea at the end of the winter season. The sights were refreshing to me. What was also refreshing was that I didn't have any papers to grade or lesson plans to make. That was great! Sunday was a day of worship and relaxation. We ate a big lunch and napped in the afternoon. I even played basketball for the first time since college! We just had so much free time; it was amazing! I was glad for the relaxing on Sunday because Monday started a week of grueling work in hot sun! We shoveled and shoveled and shoveled some more. We layed block and mixed concrete and mixed cement. We trowled and trowled and trowled until we had to shovel again. We carried buckets of water and buckets of sand and buckets of gravel and bags of cement. Then, we shoveled and shoveled and shoveled again. Hopefully the pictures will help tell the story better, because all I can say is that I have never shoveled so much in my life, and I have never been so impressed with teenagers! They worked so diligently without complaining! God really hand picked the students who went on the trip, and they were such a blessing to be around all week long. So we worked hard all morning; ate lunch and took a short rest; worked hard until about 5 each day and then cleaned up for supper. I spent some quality time with a book, my Bible and my journal in the evenings while the students mostly played volleyball and basketball, and of course, Killer Uno! There is such simple joy in hard work and rest, and I praise God for the opportunity. I knew that this trip would be one primarily designed to teach service, and that the lessons learned would be not so "spiritual" as we sometimes lable things. So I wasn't expected too many moments of deep thought from the students, but they surprised me. Throughout each day I would either be in a spiritual conversation with students or overhear then having one on their own. They were really focused on God and on the fact that He had sent them to the camp to work hard. Once again, I have to say how impressed I was with what God had produced in them. Praise His Name! Well, those are the details I can write about, so I really recommend the pictures. They will help you understand better what was accomplished. Thanks so much for your prayer support! Please feel free to email me with your questions or comments concerning the trip or this letter or anything. Serving in Korea Emily |